1. In detail Describe your step by step animation workflow, including tools and techniques used in Ai and Ae. 

The first thing is to decide what the underwater scene will look like. This animation includes jellyfish, orcas, seaweed, coral, and sea shells. I’ll think about how everything will move, how the ocean waves might look, and how the jellyfish and orcas should move through the water. I also need to consider the color scheme to make it look like it's underwater – lots of blues, greens, and maybe some soft light shining through the water.​I’ll design the sea creatures (like jellyfish, orcas), plants (like seaweed), and other underwater objects (like coral and sea shells) using Illustrator or Photoshop. These assets should be designed in layers so they can be animated easily in After Effects. For example, I’ll make the jellyfish with different layers for the body and tentacles.

For the seaweed in the underwater scene, I used the Puppet Pin Tool to create the effect of seaweed gently swaying in the water. Seaweed needs to move organically to look natural, just like it would in real life when the current moves it.​

I used the Puppet Pin Tool on the fins and tail to create smooth swimming motions. Since the orca is swimming through the water, I needed to make sure its fins and tail looked like they were interacting with the ocean currents.
2. Reflect on your technical skills in both Ai and Ae. Which aspects were easiest for you, and which were most challenging? How did you overcome any difficulties?

In Illustrator, designing simple shapes like jellyfish and coral was easy using the Pen Tool and Shape Tools, and organizing assets into layers made it easy to transfer to After Effects. However, creating the orca and adding realistic gradients and shadows proved more challenging. I overcame this by using reference images for the orca and experimenting with the Gradient Tool and Opacity Masks to add depth.

In After Effects, animating movements like jellyfish floating and seaweed swaying was straightforward with keyframes and the Puppet Pin Tool. The most challenging part was fine-tuning the organic movements, especially for the orca’s fins. To improve, I used easy ease for smoother transitions and relied on motion blur to create a more natural flow in the animation.